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Why Indians must learn everything from the West? Even charity, we must learn from Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Indians have learnt nothing in 5000 years of recorded history - with crores of pages in classical txts. But thanks to Warren Bffet and Bill Gates, hopefully Indians will learn something about giving. | Cartoonist Ajit Ninan - source and courtesy - timescontent.com | Click for source image.

West is the Best

Unless Indians follow the West in matters are charity, Indians are UnCharitable – and, of course, UnChristian, UnCivilized.

A writer at Reuters observes

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates are on a week-long trip to India, primarily to encourage the rich to give away a portion of their wealth to charity.

The visit follows a similar one made by the duo to China, the country with the most number of billionaires after the United States, where they urged the wealthy to sign up for their Giving Pledge campaign.

India’s rich are not really known for sharing their wealth. Big, family-run businesses are often inherited and set up with the help of ancestral wealth, and few have shown any willingness to part with it.

Does Viagra help those with low self-esteem

Recently, 40 US billionaires, prompted by Buffet and Gates, agreed to give away half their wealth to charity. In that case, what’s holding back Indian companies? Other than unwillingness to give or share, is it also because they don’t know how and who to give to?

Here companies are at par with their peers in the US, but when it comes to a structured approach to philanthropy, most of them are found wanting.

According to Dr Rajnish Karki, author of Competing With the Best, “The License Raj killed the art of giving in business. Before that, the Tatas, Birlas, Dalmias and a few big business houses were actively involved in patronage, which was more socially driven owing to the frenzy of the Independence movement. But, wealth from the corporate sector, especially software, has just started pouring in during the past seven to eight years. At a time when their main aim is to preserve growth, it would be unfair to compare their CSR activities with the West.”

Trust is another big factor why most wealthy people don’t loosen their purse strings. They are afraid that their money wouldn’t reach the right channels . A reason, probably, why big corporate houses build their own charitable foundations within the organisations . Heiresses like Roshni Nadir and Nisa Godrej who top as philanthropists head such foundations.

As CSR becomes a part of the corporate landscape, more aligned with Western sensibilities of functioning, the younger generation is reasonably aware of where to give. They are also clear that if they are giving money, they want to monitor it the way Bill and Melinda Gates do.

These Crazy Indians

But there is a different way in which Indians do things. One thing that Indians believe in the institution of marriage.

Giving a helping hand to a young couple, at the start of their married life, is embedded in India.

Regardless of where people go to pray. But that is not charity.

Two interesting news reports on that.

News Report #1

Before he was suddenly transferred, Patna city SP Shivdeep Waman Lande received an average of 300 SMSes every day, mostly from love-struck girls, some even carrying marriage proposals. The heartburn soon translated into candlelight marches and mass protests demanding the cancellation of the IPS officer’s transfer.

Why did the people of Patna almost sink into depression when they found out that Lande was moving out? Many say it was the 2006-batch officer’s ‘Dabangg’ -like style of functioning, proactive policing and strictness in dealing with the high and mighty that made him a rockstar in the city in just 10 months of his brief tenure.

Meanwhile, the man himself, sporting trademark blade shades, is unassuming about his popularity. “I tried my best to redress their grievances. It helped build peoples’ trust in the police. They knew action would be taken if they call me,” he says. His 24×7 availability on phone and promptness also earned the Maharashtrian the sobriquet of ‘Singham’.

Lande became an overnight reallife hero after an incident of attempted molestation involving a girl (who) called him up for help (almost every college girl had his mobile number), and Lande landed at the spot within minutes. The girl was rescued while the molesters (were) captured by Lande’s team within a week.

The tough cop, who follows a strict three-hour exercise regimen, donates 60% of his pay to the Yuvak Sangathan, (which) organizes social activities like mass marriages of poor girls and free coaching classes for the less privileged. (via Why is Patna crying for this cop? – The Times of India).

News Report #2

When over 100 couples tie nuptial knots at Petlad taluka in Anand during a mass marriage ceremony on Sunday, 10 of them will have their wedding rituals etched in their memory for a long time to come.

For, they will be blessed by the family of star cricketers Irfan and Yusuf Pathan. Mehmoodkhan Pathan, father of Pathan brothers, has sponsored the wedding expenses of 10 couples, many of whom come from average financial background.

Though the Pathan brothers will not attend the event, the entire family will drive down to Petlad to bless the couples.

The senior most Pathan, who is elated over Yusuf Pathan’s inclusion in the World Cup squad, said he sponsored the weddings to help the couples. “It is just our way of saying thanks to the God. Both Irfan and Yusuf got huge money in IPL-4 auctions and Yusuf made it to the World Cup squad. We are very happy and hence thought of returning something to the society. And what better way than to help couples start a new life,” Mehmoodkhan told TOI.

Mehmoodkhan donated Rs 1.51 lakh to a Petlad-based organisation Mohaddis-e-Azam Mission that has organised the mass marriage wherein couples from all sects of Muslim community will tie the knots.

“Members of the organisation came to invite us for the mass wedding. That is when the idea of sponsoring marriage of some couples struck me. I talked with Irfan and Yusuf and they too agreed to bear wedding expenses. I liked the concept as couples from all sects of our community will benefit from this mass marriage,” added Mehmoodkhan. (via Senior Pathan sponsors wedding of 10 couples – Times Of India).

Are these the kind of Think Tanks that we are getting? They seem to be more of Tinker Tanks.

Useless laws

The Section 498A which deals with dowry-related crimes, has now completely lost credibility – with false complainant to victim ratio of nearly 1:20. Possibly the best ‘example’ of post-colonial legal thinking in India is the Section 498. A retributive, revengeful law (patterned on Western legal models) is now undermining the very structure of Indian society – marriage. Section 498 has has taken away marriages from the social domain into the legal sphere.

Laws that harass

Instead of poor women, that it was supposed to help, Section 498A has been used by well-to-do women vindictively, due to marital estrangements. From being contributory, accommodating, religious and life long, Indian marriage system is becoming extractive, adversarial, contractual, legal and short term.

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